


Heartbreak Hotel

by b_blueberry



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Arkenstone - Freeform, Divorce, Domestic Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield, Happy Ending, Implied Mpreg, M/M, Non-Graphic Violence, One Big Happy Family, Past Relationship(s), Protective Thorin, Short, Thorin's A+ Parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-09
Updated: 2014-01-31
Packaged: 2017-12-28 22:35:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/997714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/b_blueberry/pseuds/b_blueberry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Their life couldn’t be more perfect. Up to the moment when Thorin filed for divorce.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> All mistakes are mine.

Bilbo and Thorin have been married for two and divorced for six years. They met at a conference where Bilbo was promoting his new book and Thorin his new hotel. The connection was instant and when Thorin asked Bilbo on a date, Bilbo didn’t think twice before he accepted. They stayed in touch and after a few months Thorin asked Bilbo to move in with him. He was living alone for so many years that a small apartment was enough for him even if he had enough money to buy all the houses in Erebor. Bilbo wasn’t, let’s say enthusiastic about moving from the Shire, where he had his small house and where all his friends lived, but for Thorin he was willing to sacrifice everything.

At the beginning it was a little awkward living with each other, but they quickly got used to it and their relationship got even better. It took Thorin another few months to gather enough courage to ask the younger man to marry him because he was constantly worried that Bilbo will turn him down because things were moving too fast. No such a thing happened and Bilbo practically pulled the ring from Thorin’s hand when he got on one knee to pop the question. Neither of them had the patience to wait to get married so Thorin invited all his friends and relatives in town and two weeks after the engagement, Bilbo and Thorin were married. After the wedding Thorin allowed Bilbo to choose a house and with unlimited sources Bilbo decided to buy the Lonely Mountain, a big mansion that was built from the finest stone and had a huge garden. Nine months later Frodo was born and their life couldn’t be more perfect.

Up to the moment when Thorin filed for divorce. A few months after Frodo’s first birthday Bilbo packed their belongings and moved back to the Shire. The divorce papers came a week later and in anger Bilbo didn’t think twice before he signed them. They, well, their lawyers, agreed on a shared custody over Frodo. That meant that Frodo would live with Bilbo and that Thorin would come to visit him as often as he could. When Frodo got older he would still stay with Bilbo, but every other weekend Thorin would come and they would spend the weekend together. Things did work that way for the first two years, but Thorin’s love of money had gone to fierce and Frodo was lucky if he remembered to call him on his birthday. It’s been almost six months since he last saw his dad and now that it was his seventh birthday he was looking forward when his dad will finally come visit him and they will spend some time together.

It wasn’t Bilbo’s idea to invite Thorin over for dinner. Oh, no. Bilbo would never do that. He and Thorin separated on a very bad terms and they didn’t even try to repair their relationship. They avoided each other as much as possible, but sometimes it was really hard because they were forced to be in the same room, like for example on holidays, birthdays, anniversaries of their friends and their encounters usually ended with a shouting match. Bilbo could only hope that they could remain civilized until Frodo goes to bed, he really didn’t want to ruin his son’s birthday.

“When is he coming?” Asked Frodo as he stared out of the window, looking for Thorin to appear.

“Very soon, my sweetling,” Bilbo promised, even though he knew there is a possibility that Thorin will call in the last minute and cancel. Bilbo could only hope this wouldn’t happen, because when Thorin didn’t come for Christmas like he promised, Frodo refused to leave his room for a week.

“Do you think he will bring me a big present?”

“Of course he will. You know how much he loves you. You are the most important thing in his life,” lied Bilbo. It wasn’t fair that he had to lie to his son about these things but he couldn’t tell him the truth and tell him that his dad didn’t come because he was too busy making even more money.

“He is here!” Exclaimed Frodo and before Bilbo could turn around Frodo was already out and in Thorin’s embrace. “Daddy!”

“Hello,” smiled Thorin and scooped him up. “You have grown so much since I last saw you. What has been Bilbo feeding you?” Thorin never referred to Bilbo as papa, it pained him too much.

Frodo beamed with excitement and didn’t answer Thorin’s question. “Did you bring me a present?” He asked when Thorin put him down.

“I did,” smiled Thorin and pulled an envelope out of his jacket. “Here, happy birthday, son.”

Frodo eyed the envelope before he accepted it. Inside was a check for two thousand dollars. “Thank you,” said Frodo, disappointment could be heard in his voice, but papa thought him to always say thank you when you receive something. “Why don’t you come inside,” invited Frodo and headed inside without even looking at Thorin. He headed straight for the kitchen.

“What have you got there?” Asked Bilbo. His smile disappeared in the moment he saw the envelope in Frodo’s hand which a few seconds later ended in the trash. Bilbo had a feeling something like this will happen and he hated to see Frodo sit in the kitchen so disappointed. “Sweetheart, daddy didn’t forget about you present, he just couldn’t bring it today so he dropped it off a few days ago.” Frodo looked at his papa. “Why don’t you go see what he got you,” Bilbo encouraged, “It’s in my bedroom closet.” Before Bilbo could finish Frodo was out of the kitchen. Thorin moved at the last second or they would crash. A Few seconds later screams of excitement could be heard from Bilbo’s bedroom. Bilbo sighed with relief, at least he could save this part of Frodo’s birthday.

He looked Thorin in the eyes and shook his head. “What?” Questioned Thorin, annoyed by the look Bilbo was giving him.

“A check? A check, Thorin? Are you crazy? He is seven, he doesn’t know what to do with all this money,” said Bilbo and pulled the envelope out of the trash before giving it back to Thorin.

Thorin was visibly offended that Frodo didn’t like his gift. “What else was I suppose to give him? I don’t know what he likes.”

“That’s because you never spend time with him.”

“I don’t understand why you are making so much fuss about this,” started Thorin, “I gave the same gift to Fíli few months back and he was perfectly happy with it.”

“That’s what you think,” reasoned Bilbo. “I do believe that your nephew would appreciate it more if you would actually show up on his 18th birthday instead of wishing him happy birthday over Skype. And let me tell you this, he didn’t like it.”

“Why am I always the bad guy?” Asked Thorin but before Bilbo could answer Frodo ran back into the room.

“Thank you so much! Did you know that papa got me the first part of the set and now I got the second one. Life is perfect.” Frodo exclaimed and ran back to the living room where he had all his toys.

Thorin sent a questioning look to his ex-husband.

“He likes trains right now. He has this obsession and he wants to have every train he sees. I bought him the first set and you bought him the second one,” explained Bilbo.

“I’ll pay you back.”

“I don’t need your money,” snapped Bilbo.

“Yet you still accept the check I send you every month,” Thorin pointed out.

“It was the judge’s decision, not my. And I never touched the money you gave me. I’m perfectly able to provide for my son.”

“He is my son, too.”

“Really?” Questioned Bilbo with venom in his voice. “Then you are lucky he still recognizes you.” They were silent for a few minutes. Thorin took a seat while Bilbo continued cooking. “I’m seeing someone,” he said casually.

“I don’t care,” answered Thorin. “We are not married, you can do whatever you want.”

Bilbo turned around to face Thorin. “I’m telling you this because I want him to meet Frodo. We’ve been going out for some time and I trust him enough to move things on the next level. If Frodo accepts him I will ask him to move in with me.”

Thorin was hurt, but he managed to hide it well. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I want for Frodo to have another parent. I think he is old enough to spend the weekend with you,” said Bilbo.

“What are you trying to tell me?”

“What I’m trying to tell you is that if my boyfriend,” Thorin couldn't help but flinch at Bilbo’s words, “Accepts my offer you won’t be welcome here anymore. You are not part of my life anymore. If you want to see Frodo you can come and take him for the weekend, otherwise I would ask you to stay away.”

Thorin stared at Bilbo before he nodded. He turned his head away to hide his hurt. “I’ll go check what he is doing,” he said and walked into the living room without looking at Bilbo again.

:::

Thorin stayed over for dinner as Frodo requested. He kept the conversation going with his son, trying to get to know him as much as he could. He missed him. He missed both of them, but his pride got the better of him and he would never say it out loud.

After dinner he played with Frodo and his new train set until Bilbo announced it was time for bed.

“I’m happy that you came, dad,” said Frodo when Thorin tucked him in. He didn’t remember if he ever did something like that, but when his son asked him to, he couldn’t say no. “You and Papa got me the best presents ever!”

Thorin forced a smile before giving Frodo his teddybear. “I wanted to ask you something,” said Thorin quietly. The thing he feared most was his son’s rejection. “How would you feel if you would get to spend every other weekend with me. Just the two of us. I would come and get you on Friday and then on Sunday I would bring you back.”

“Do you mean we could all spend some time together? Even Papa?” Asked Frodo.

“No, just you and me,” explained Thorin.

“But then you would stay here with us and you and I would get to spend the weekend alone and then come back to Papa?”

Thorin’s heart broke into million pieces. “No. You can see me every other weekend, but that’s it. That’s all we got.”

“Why?”

“Because your Papa and I don’t live together anymore and the judge decided you will live here,” explained Thorin. “I get to see you every other weekend.”

“That’s not fair,” protested Frodo. “Don’t you love Papa?”

 _You have no idea how much, little one._ “We had our differences that’s why we decided to go our separate ways.”

Frodo was quiet for a minute and for Thorin that was the longest minute of his life. “I like living here with Papa,” said Frodo and all Thorin would manage was a short nod.

“Okay then,” said Thorin holding back his tears. What he feared most has come true. His own son rejected him, now he was really alone. He pressed a kiss on Frodo’s forehead. “Happy birthday son. Sleep well,” he said before he turned off the lights and left the room.

He wanted to get out of Bag End as soon as possible. He knew Bilbo probably heard the whole thing so he didn’t want to talk with him. He grabbed his coat and headed to the door.

“I’m sorry,” said Bilbo as he stood by the door. “I didn’t expect that.”

Thorin looked him in the eyes for a second before he stormed out of the house into the cold, dark night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All mistakes are mine.

It's been almost six months since Thorin saw his son.  At the beginning he tried calling few times a week, because no one said he couldn’t call, he just couldn’t see him, but every time he tried Bilbo found some excuse. His son was busy, he was asleep, he was eating, he was _doing_ something and he couldn’t come to the phone. Thorin didn’t give up, he just stopped calling so often. Clearly there was something going on there, but Bilbo refused to tell him anything and he couldn’t talk to his son to ask him. He wanted to see him, but his ex-husband made it very clear he wasn’t welcome there anymore. Until Frodo decided that he wants to spend some time with him there was nothing Thorin could do. In the last few months he regretted that he didn’t fight for his son, that he let him to Bilbo so easily. Now that he was all alone he wouldn’t mind taking care of an energetic child if that meant he could get some time with his son.

But sadly that wasn’t happening and Thorin once again accepted the fact that he would be spending the evening alone. He decided to go to bed early, because where was the point of staying awake when you were alone in a huge house. How he wished he could argue with someone that it’s time for bed. That sleep is important if you want to go play in the park the next day. But that wasn’t happening, so Thorin turned off the light before climbing under the covers. He never went to bed so early, but he just couldn’t stop thinking about his son and ex-husband so it was better to go to sleep and just forget about everything.

It was around midnight when his phone started ringing. He wasn’t expecting a call so he had no idea who might be calling him. He reached for his phone on the nightstand before rubbing his sleepy eyes. Caller ID: Bilbo. Thorin immediately knew something was wrong. Bilbo wouldn’t call if it wasn’t urgent. Bilbo wouldn’t call at this hour if it wasn’t something really urgent.

The moment he answered the call he heard Frodo crying on the other side. “Daddy…” sobbed Frodo. “Daddy… Please come…” Thorin jumped from the bed when he heard him crying.

“Sweetheart calm down,” soothed Thorin as he searched for his pants. “Calm down…”

“Daddy,” continued to cry Frodo and Thorin’s heart broke. He didn’t care if Bilbo would get angry, his son needed him so he will come.

“I’m on my way sweetheart. I’ll be right there. Just calm down.”

“Come quickly, daddy,” sobbed Frodo into the phone.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” promised Thorin before hurrying down to his car.

The whole ride to Bilbo’s house he had in mind that something was wrong. That Frodo was hurt, or that Bilbo was hurt. He needed to stop thinking about it or he will lose his mind. He needed to get there as soon as possible. It was a cold night, but it was snowing, since it was in the middle of winter, as he was driving to Bag End. He could only hope that Frodo got scared or something and that everyone was okay.

The moment he stepped out of the car he heard a familiar cry. “Daddy…” Frodo was running toward him, through snow, wearing nothing but his pajamas. The moment he reached him, Thorin scooped him up, getting his feet away from the snow.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Scolded Thorin and cleaned Frodo of snow, before wrapping his coat around him. “You’ll catch a cold.” Frodo just wrapped his arms around Thorin’s neck and snuggled into the warmth. Thorin placed a kiss to his head before he hurried inside.

Once inside he quickly found a warm blanket and wrapped Frodo in it before he sat him down on the couch and wiped the tears away. “Calm down. I’m here. Don’t worry everything is going to be alright.” Frodo stopped sobbing before he once again threw his arms around Thorin’s neck and refused to let him go.

“Thorin?” questioned Bilbo, who just emerged from his bedroom.

The moment Thorin saw his face he knew why Frodo was so upset and scared. Bilbo had his cheek completely red. It was more than obvious that someone slapped him. Thorin immediately noticed that he was crying too because his eyes were red and puffy.

“You’ll need some ice for that,” he said as calmly as he could before lifting Frodo up and taking him to the kitchen. Bilbo followed close behind. “Sit still,” ordered Thorin as he sat Frodo down on the kitchen countertop. The boy was reluctant to let go of his father but when Thorin placed an encouraging kiss to his head the boy released his hold on him. Thorin put his coat on the back of the chair before getting and ice pack from the fridge and wrapping it in a towel. “Here, put this on. It will help with the pain.”

“Thanks,” said Bilbo as he accepted the ice pack.

Thorin returned back to Frodo and pulled his pajama top off of him.

“Excuse me,” interrupted Bilbo. “What do you think you are doing?”

Thorin ignored him and quickly checked Frodo’s front and his back. He put his shirt back on before urging him to stand up on the countertop.

“Excuse me? Thorin?”

Thorin pulled Frodo’s pajama bottoms down and checked his legs. He was happy to find that his son was without a scratch.

“That’s absurd,” said Bilbo once Thorin dressed Frodo back and put him back on the ground. “What makes you think that something would happen to him?”

“The state of your cheek,” pointed Thorin out.

“I would never hit my son!”

“No you wouldn’t, but whoever did that,” he pointed to Bilbo’s cheek, “Could do the same to my son. I’m just making sure he is okay.”

“Daddy,” interrupted Frodo, “Will you stay with us here?”

“No, daddy can’t stay here,” answered Bilbo before Thorin could open his mouth. “Daddy has to leave and you need to go to bed because it’s really late.”

Frodo pouted. “Can I go with you?”

“No sweetheart, you can’t go with daddy. You have to stay here,” explained Bilbo. “Daddy lives somewhere else and you live here.”

“Actually,” interrupted Thorin, “You can go with me if you want.”

“Yay!”

“No, wait, Frodo stop.” Bilbo looked at Thorin angrily. “What do you think you are doing? He can’t go with you. He lives with me, remember?”

“He can spend the weekend with me if he wants, remember?” Thorin answered back. Bilbo just stared at him, unsure how to proceed. “This is the first time he said he wants to stay with me and I’m going to say yes. He can come with me since you want me so badly out of your house. You will get him back on Sunday evening.”

“Daddy we should go,” urged Frodo and pulled his hand.

“So will you help him pack his bag or should I do it?” Bilbo started at Thorin for a minute before he disappeared from the kitchen. He returned a couple of minutes later with a bag of Frodo’s clothes and everything he might need to stay with Thorin over the weekend.

“So where is he going to sleep? On the couch?” asked Bilbo when he gave the bag to Thorin.

“He has his own room, he just never saw it because he never spent more than a few hours with me,” explained Thorin. “But if he wants to sleep on the couch then he can sleep on the couch.”

“Can I sleep in your bed?” asked Frodo.

“Of course, sweetheart. Now give Bilbo a kiss so that we can go.” Frodo did what he was told before Thorin scooped him up and carried him to the car.

Before Bilbo even realized he was left alone. He sighed before he got back into the house. What in the world did he get himself into?

:::

Thorin knew the weekend would be quickly over but he did expect to be over so quickly. For the first time he got to spend some time with his son and he could only hope that Frodo would want to stay with him again. They had fun together and Thorin got to know him better. But Frodo was used to being with Bilbo all the time so he was really excited to go back home. And so, as promised, Thorin packed his things on Sunday evening and drove him back to Bag End.

Frodo was really excited to see Bilbo again so he couldn’t wait for Thorin to stop the car.

“Slow down a little,” said Thorin as he got his back out of the car. Frodo was urging him to hurry up. “Did you enjoy staying with me?”

“Yes, but I want Papa,” explained Frodo.

The moment Thorin closed the car door the front door of the house opened. “Sweetheart!” called Bilbo, more than happy to have his son back with him. Frodo ran toward him and Bilbo caught him and scooped him up.

“Papa!”

“Hello sweetheart,” greeted Bilbo, pampering kisses all over Frodo’s face. “I missed you so much.” He hugged Frodo close, carrying him inside the house. Thorin followed close behind.

“Papa did you know that daddy has someone who helps him clean and cook? Because daddy can’t cook. He doesn’t know how to prepare yummy things like you do.”

“Frodo,” warned Thorin playfully, “You promised you won’t say anything.”

“Oops…”

Bilbo sent a look at Thorin before speaking. “So let me guess. You have twenty-something-year old cleaning your house. How typical.”

“I think that my 57-year old housekeeper would find it flattering that you think that she looks like a twenty-something-year old,” answered Thorin. That definitely surprised Bilbo.

“Thank you for bringing him back.”

“It was a part of the deal, not a favor.”

“Still, I couldn’t help but be a little worried that you won’t bring him back because of what has happened.”

“That’s your problem not mine,” said Thorin plainly.

“Say goodbye to daddy,” said Bilbo to Frodo, who was still in his arms.

“Can’t he stay for a few minutes?” asked Frodo.

“No, he has to leave.” Thorin couldn’t help but feel that Bilbo was trying to rid of him. But before Frodo could open his mouth the front door opened and a few seconds later a tall man joined them.

“Hello Thorin,” he greeted.

Thorin’s eyes widened as he saw him stepping close to Bilbo and wrapping an arm around his ex-husband’s waist.

“You?! What are you doing here?!” snapped Thorin.

“Isn’t it obvious? I live here,” he smiled and pressed a kiss to Bilbo’s temple. Thorin didn’t miss how his son tried to get as far away from him as possible.

“Daddy…” Frodo let out a quiet whine. He clearly didn’t want for Thorin to leave. Bilbo also kept his eyes on his ex-husband, not even once looking at his boyfriend.

“It’s alright sweetheart,” said Thorin, stepped closer and placed a kiss on Frodo’s head. “I’ll see you in two weeks, I promise. If something happens you know you can call me.”

Frodo had tears in his eyes as he watched his dad leave. Bilbo didn’t even open his mouth. “I’ll escort you,” said his boyfriend.

“No need,” cut Thorin sharply before sending a look to his ex-husband.

“I insist,” said the man and followed Thorin out of the house. “It’s interesting,” he started as Thorin opened the doors of his car.

“What is?”

“Us, seeing each other again in a situation like this. You have to admit that was awkward.”

“Don’t you dare touch my son,” warned Thorin.

“Oh yes, your son,” the man laughed. “I almost forgot he was yours. The way I see it he won’t be for long. Just think about it. First I got your hotel, then I got your husband, which is now your ex-husband. I got your home, your family. And be realistic here for a second. It won’t be long before I get your son too. I have everything that was once yours. Isn’t that brilliant?” The man smiled at his victory.

“If you hurt him,” said Thorin, referring at his son, “I promise you that you’ll regret you were even born,” threatened Thorin.

“Scary…” laughed the man.

“I mean it, Smaug,” said Thorin before he got in the car and drove off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason you are all so excited about this story. Can I just point out that this story has more subscribers than TMoL. Feedback is always welcome. For all the questions you can find me on Tumblr :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All mistakes are mine.

Thorin was having a particularly hard day. He was called early in the morning because there was an emergency and it took him a few hours before he managed to solve the problem he had with a really annoying client. He already had a headache and he knew that the next meeting he was about to have with his shareholders won’t be any better. Luckily he had Balin with him he would help him with everything that needed to be sorted out. He didn’t know why the meeting was called but he had a feeling that it was for nothing good.

When Balin called him they headed together to the meeting room. Everyone was already there, apparently waiting for the two of them.

“Can we start?” Thorin asked when he sat down.

“No,” answered one of the shareholders. “We are waiting for our new shareholder to join us.”

“Did anyone of you sell anything?” Asked Thorin, but before someone could answer the door opened and his worst nightmare walked in.

“Morning everybody. I’m sorry for my delay. The traffic was horrible.”

“You! What are you doing here?” Roared Thorin. “You have no right to be here!”

Smaug just smiled and sat down. “Why don’t you ever let me explain?” He pulled and envelope out of his coat pocket. “From today on I represent the rights Bilbo Baggins, or formerly Durin, has in this company.”

“You have got to be joking!” Thorin could help but feel stupid for reacting like his best friend, Dwalin, would.

“Believe it or not, but I’m telling you the truth,” said Smaug before pushing the envelope toward Thorin. “You can read it yourself if you don’t believe me. Your loving ex-husband gave me the right to represent him. Since you own a half and I a third things would get so much interesting since now you can’t decide on your own anymore.”

It was Balin who reached for the envelope to check it what Smaug was saying was the truth. He read the document before nodding. “It looks like he has every right to be present at the meetings.”

“I’m looking forward to share my ideas with you,” victoriously announced Smaug.

:::

Thorin couldn’t wait for the meeting to end. He was angry, no he was furious. How dare Bilbo do something like this? Sure, he got the third of everything when they signed the divorce papers, but after what has happened, the main reason for their divorce, Thorin just couldn’t believe that he was capable of doing something like that.

He was going through the pile of papers on his desk but to tell the truth he couldn’t do any work right now. Now Smaug truly had everything. He had the love of his life, his home, his son and now he had influence in his company. Thorin could only wait before he would get that too.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door as his secretary entered. “Sir, I just wanted to inform you that your husband entered the archive.”

Thorin’s eyes widened. This has Smaug written all over. It all made sense. Bilbo gave him the right to represent him, it would only be logical to give him his card to access the archives. “Ex-husband,” corrected Thorin sharply. “Ex-husband. Please try to remember that. It’s not so hard.”

“I apologize,” she said before she left his office.

Thorin wasn’t sure what to do. He could leave him down there going through the papers, or he could go down there and confront him, and demand from him to tell him what was he doing. He decided to do the latter.

“Give me my card to the archive,” he demanded from his secretary as he strode from his office. “Quickly.”

When the woman regained her thoughts back after he startled her she did what she was told, quickly going through the drawers of her desk to find what her boss requested.

Before you know it Thorin was in the elevator going down to the archive. He inserted his card and the green light appeared on display before the doors opened.

To his surprise it wasn’t Smaug that was going through the documents but Bilbo himself. “What are you doing down here?” He roared. “Haven’t you done enough? You took everything you could away from me, you gave him the rights to represent you and now you two want more. I’m starting to believe that you two were planning this from the beginning.”

“What are you talking about, Thorin? We are not planning anything. I told you many times how sorry I am but you never listened to me,” said Bilbo.

“Oh, so now I’m supposed to believe you?! Then please, explain to me what are you doing!”

“I can’t. I’m sorry,” said Bilbo.

“You can’t?! Very well then. Get out!” Thorin was really angry at him. “Get out before I do something I’ll regret.”

Bilbo took a step closer. “You won’t hurt me,” he said very sure of himself. “You would never hurt me. You love me too much. No matter the circumstances we parted we still love each other.” Thorin just stared at him. “You still love me,” he said quietly.

“How could I love you when you betray me every time?”

“What I did was wrong. I know that. But I apologized many times. It was you who decided to end things between us.” For the first time in years they were able to talk normally with each other. Locked in the archive in the basement of Thorin’s building.

“You said that things aren’t working between us,” reminded him Thorin. “You said it would be better if we stop.”

“I said that because I was angry at you. I never meant it. But when you started ignoring me I got a feeling things really ended between us, so I left.”

Thorin gently put a stray of Bilbo’s hair behind his ear. Bilbo leaned into his touch. “We made so many mistakes.”

“We did,” agreed Bilbo. “But we are trying to make them right again. At least I am.” Thorin raised an eyebrow at him.

“It’s hard for me to believe you when you sign the papers to allow my enemy into my company.”

“I needed him out of his office. It was necessary for him to leave.” He stared into Thorin’s eyes.

“You have no idea how much I miss you. Both of you.”

“You have no idea how much I love you,” said Bilbo before stepping closer.

“But that doesn’t change what happened between us,” said Thorin and broke the beautiful moment.

“No it doesn’t,” agreed Bilbo silently.

:::

They didn’t see each other for almost two weeks after that. Thorin was happy that his son finally became enough persistent and didn’t stop ‘nagging’, as Bilbo put it, until he was allowed to call him. It wasn’t much but it was enough to calm Thorin down a little, knowing that his son was okay. Two weeks passed relatively quickly since Thorin was busy with work, and that meant that he could get Frodo for another few days.

That night his company held one of the many fundraisers over the year, but Thorin decided to skip it. He could go and watch his ex-husband and his worst enemy hold hands and smile together in public, or he could get some much needed time off and have fun with Frodo.

The moment he stopped his car in front of Bag End the door opened and Thorin could see his son impatiently waiting for him.

“Hello sweetheart,” greeted Thorin, scooped him up and closed the door behind them.

“You are late,” Frodo pouted.

“The traffic was terrible,” explained Thorin. “Are you angry at me?”

“No. But next time you must come sooner.”

“I will. I promise.”

Before Thorin could say anything else Bilbo walked in, impeccably dressed, ready to go out with his _boyfriend_. “Finally… I was beginning to worry you won’t come.”

“I said I will,” reminded him Thorin. “You look nice,” he commented as he took in Bilbo’s appearance. Why in the world did he have to look so handsome?

“Thanks,” said Bilbo before focusing on Frodo. “I’m going out for a few hours and you’ll go with daddy. You still want to go with him, don’t you?” Frodo only nodded. “You have my number if something happens.”

“I’m perfectly able to take care of my son,” interrupted Thorin. “You don’t have any magic powers.”

Bilbo decided to ignore Thorin’s comment and placed a kiss to Frodo’s cheek before giving the bag to Thorin. “Here is everything he might need. If there’s anything missing… Well… You have enough money. You can buy it.” He placed another kiss on Frodo’s head. “Have fun sweetheart. I love you.”

“Bye Papa,” waved Frodo as Thorin carried him to his car before he drove them back to his house.

:::

Thorin quickly learned that it was a habit of his son to go to bed early and he quickly realized that after Frodo went to sleep he had nothing better to do than to join him. Frodo wanted to sleep in his bed, which he once shared with Bilbo, and Thorin just didn’t have the heart to say no to him. Together they got ready for bed and within minutes they were both sleeping peacefully.

Thorin really didn’t expect someone calling him, especially on a Friday night when everyone was supposed to be at the party. The moment he heard his phone ring he quickly reached for it before it would wake Frodo and then he hurried out of the bedroom, silently closing the door before answering.

“Hello?” He asked with a sleepy voice.

_“Thorin, thank Mahal I got you.”_ It was Dwalin who was calling.

“Has something happened?”

_“Were you sleeping?”_ Asked Dwalin. It was strange for his best friend to be sleeping so early.

“Frodo is here. So yes, I was sleeping. He has a different sleeping schedule than I have.”

_“Something bad has happened,”_ said Dwalin after Thorin finished his explanation. _“As expected Smaug and Bilbo came. At first everything was normal until Smaug wanted to announce something.”_ Thorin’s heart started beating really fast. He had a feeling that Dwalin will tell him the bad news. And he was right. _“They decided to sell your ex-husband’s part of the company. It’s already for sale and it’s sold for almost nothing. You know what this means, don’t you? Since the announcement the prices have already dropped for fifteen points. Balin is doing the best he can but if this continues by this speed you’ll be poorer than I am in the morning.”_

Thorin just swallowed hard. His worst nightmare just came true. In the morning he will have absolutely nothing. His company won’t be worth a penny and he will lose it. Bilbo did play him even better than the last time. There was nothing he could do because he knew that he won’t be able to change Bilbo’s mind. He wasn’t before, why would now be any different.

“What’s done is done,” he said calmly.

_“What? You won’t do anything?”_

“You know there’s nothing I can do.” Frodo apparently heard the phone, because he was now standing at the door rubbing his sleepy eyes. “I have to go. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

_“No, wait Thorin-“_ Before Dwalin could finish Thorin hung up.

“Hey sweetheart,” said Thorin lovingly and lifted Frodo up in his arms. “Did I wake you up? I’m sorry.”

Frodo just rested his head on his shoulder. “Are you sad?”

“No little one, I’m not sad. Maybe just a little disappointed.”

“Papa is always sad,” said Frodo almost back asleep. “He cries a lot during the night when we are alone. He always calls for you.”

“I’m sure he is thinking of someone else.”

“He says he is sorry and that he loves you.”

“Well I love you,” said Thorin to change the subject. “Let’s go back to sleep. Tomorrow is a new day and we will have so much fun together.”

Frodo just nodded before wrapping his arms around Thorin’s neck and allowing him to take him back to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let’s just pretend that we all know how the stock market works, okay.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All mistakes are mine.

The next morning Thorin did his best to not think about what has happened the previous night. He knew there was a big possibility that he lost everything he worked so hard to get but he did his best not to think about it.  Nothing was given to him in his life and he worked really hard to get everything that he owned. Now he wasn’t so sure if he was willing to go through all that again. It would be much easier to get a job somewhere and not be the CEO of the company. He would have to sell his house, which he bought for Bilbo, because he wouldn’t be able to afford maintaining it. He would finally have the excuse to get rid of it. No matter  how much it hurt this house still remembered him of Bilbo. It was _their_ house and now that Bilbo has betrayed him once again and was with someone else, Thorin saw no reason why he should keep it. Bilbo was lost to him forever. The only thing he had left of him was Frodo and he only gets to see him over the weekend every two weeks.

Frodo, his little boy, provided the perfect distraction for him in the morning. Frodo always managed to keep him busy, not giving him the chance to think about Balin, and probably Dwalin too, who will most likely come to visit him to inform him of everything that has happened. Thorin really wasn’t looking forward to it. He didn’t want to admit that but Bilbo’s betrayal hurt. So many old wounds have been reopened and now Thorin was sure that he and Bilbo will never get back together, not even for Frodo. Everything was lost.

Frodo woke up full of energy and even though Thorin was already awake for almost an hour, Frodo’s jumping on the bed woke him up completely. Frodo was really excited to spend the day with his daddy and he was just making sure to make the best of it. After getting Frodo to stop jumping on the bed, Thorin was led to the kitchen where he was given instructions by his seven-years-old son how to make pancakes. The only thing that Thorin was sure of was the fact that Bilbo most definitely wouldn’t approve of Frodo being allowed so eat so much sugar for breakfast, but he tried not to think about it and make his son happy.

Frodo was eating his second pancake when the doorbell rang. Before Thorin could say something Frodo was already on his way to the door. “Frodo!” called Thorin and surprisingly his son stopped. “Come back,” he ordered and waited for his son to return before lifting him back on the chair. “Finish your breakfast.”

“But-“ Frodo wanted to protest.

“I’ll get the door. Eat your breakfast,” he ordered before he went to answer the door. He knew exactly who it was.

“Thorin,” greeted Balin and offered him a comforting smile when he opened the door. “Can I come in?”

“Frodo is here,” explained Thorin simply. “I get him for forty-eight hours every two weeks I think whatever you were planning to tell me can wait until Monday.” Balin wanted to say something but was interrupted by laughter coming from the kitchen. “What the…” Thorin immediately returned to the kitchen only to find Dwalin chatting with his son.

“Look daddy! Uncle Dwalin is here.”

Thorin narrowed his eyes at his best friend. “Seriously, back door?”

“What?” questioned Dwalin. “You would never let us in otherwise. Besides, I’m allowed to spend some time with my favorite nephew.” Frodo smiled widely at Dwalin’s words.

“I really think it would be best if you two leave,” said Thorin once Balin joined them in the kitchen.

“Why can’t uncle Dwalin stay?” asked Frodo and Thorin had no other choice but to agree to talk with them. He first made some really strong coffee before he sat down and waited for Balin to explain. “Surprise me…”

Dwalin was still keeping Frodo busy while they talked. “The part of the company that Bilbo owned went for sale last night,” started Balin.

“At the ridiculously low prices,” interrupted Dwalin and Balin sent him a look. “Sorry. Go on.”

“The prices dropped for 30 points in a few hours,” continued Balin. Thorin just rubbed his face in his hands. This wasn’t looking good. “That’s not all. Not only Bilbo’s part went for sale last night. Everyone decided to sell their part except you.” Thorin’s face lost its color. “It looks like they were working together.”

“So we are done?” asked Thorin quietly.

“Not exactly. Wait for the best part,” interrupted Dwalin once again.

“When I though we will lose everything, things slowly started getting better. A few hours later there was some interest in the shares that were on sale so buy now prices are almost back to normal.”

“This is good news, isn’t it?” asked Thorin. “I didn’t lose everything.”

“You got twenty new shareholders that own the exact part of your company. Making any kind of decisions will be hard.”

“Still, better than to lose everything,” argued Thorin.

“Tell him the other thing,” urged Dwalin.

“There’s more?”

Balin sighed. “Smaug decided to sell the Arkenstone hotel last night.”

“That’s good news,” exclaimed Thorin. “Now I can finally get back what is rightfully mine. The prices are so high I doubt anyone would want to buy them.”

“Actually Laddie… It was sold in less than fifteen minutes. At that time you were practically broke so we couldn’t buy anything. It was sold to at least twenty different buyers. We are not really sure who they are. It will be impossible to find them all and buy the hotel back.”

Thorin sighed. “It looks like it was never meant to be.”

“Don’t worry about it, Laddie. I’m sure that one day you’ll get it back. We all know how much that hotel means to you.”

“Thank you. What about Bilbo,” Thorin finally asked.

“They left shortly after Smaug made the announcement,” Dwalin explained. “Strangely Smaug didn’t mention selling the Arkenstone, only Bilbo’s part of your company. I have absolutely no idea what those two were playing. If they wanted to bankrupt you, their plan has failed miserably, which is excellent. But I can’t help but feel that there is something more. With Bilbo you never know what he’s planning.”

Thorin just nodded, he really didn’t want to think about his ex-husband. No matter how much he tried to deny it deep down he knew the truth. He still loved Bilbo, and he will love him forever. But there was no way he could go back in time and change what has happened. They will just have to live with their decisions.

After Balin and Dwalin finally left Thorin decided to stop thinking about everything that has happened until Monday. He had Frodo with him so it was much more enjoyable to have fun with his son than think about all the things he will have to deal with when he goes back to work. The rest of the weekend passes quickly, too quickly in Thorin’s opinion, and before he knows it he is driving his son back home.

“Did you have fun?” he asked as he pulled over in front of Bilbo’s house.

“Yes! When will you come to pick me up the next time?” Frodo asked.

“Two weeks. In two weeks you can see me again.”

Frodo pouted. “Why not sooner? Why can’t you come to see me every day?”

“Because it’s… complicated,” explained Thorin as he helped Frodo out of the car. “I love you very much, don’t forget that.” Frodo nodded before he opened the front door. Thorin placed the bag inside but didn’t go in. He didn’t have the strength to see Bilbo right now. “Call me. Promise?” he asked as he kneeled in front of his son to say goodbye to him.

“I love you, daddy,” said Frodo before a kissing Thorin’s cheek.

“I love you, too,” Thorin returned before Frodo ran into the living room, calling Bilbo. Thorin took a deep breath before he closed the front door and returned back to his car.

Not a minute later the front door opened again. It was Bilbo with Frodo in his arms looking for something he has lost long ago. “Thorin?” But Thorin was already gone and he was once again left alone.

:::

In the week that followed Thorin was really busy at work. He had so many things to do to get his company back to where it was. People were just worried about what has happened so it was a little chaotic and Thorin had to assure his workers that they won’t be losing their jobs and that nothing will change even though twenty new people now owned a part of the company.

He didn’t hear a word from Bilbo. The only thing he was informed of was that Smaug has left the country few hours after he made the announcement, while Bilbo stayed at home. Of course, he couldn’t just leave with a child. Frodo wouldn’t like that. If they were planning to move away there was nothing in the world Thorin could do about it. Times like this he really regretted not fighting for Frodo harder when he had the chance.

As said before the week passed quickly and before he knew it, it was time to meet his new partners. Twenty new people that he knew absolutely nothing about, well that should be fun. As always Thorin decided to hold the meeting in the conference room the only problem was that no one showed up. Usually people came few minutes before the meeting was scheduled but now they were already running late and Thorin was starting to believe this was another Smaug’s doing. But still he and Balin patiently waited for anyone who would show up. Just when he was about to give up and accept the fact that no one will show up the doors opened and Bilbo walked in, trying to tell his secretary that he had every right to be here.

“No, really. I was invited to this meeting… And I’m already late…”

“Sir, you can’t just…”

“Thank you,” said Bilbo before he closed the doors behind him in not such a polite way. He offered a smile to Thorin. “I’m sorry I’m late but the traffic was horrible and I had to drive Frodo to-“

“Why are you here?” cut Thorin sharply.

“I was invited.”

“If I remember correctly you sold your part of this company. You don’t have the right to be here.”

Bilbo sent a look to Balin who quickly understood that he should leave them alone. He excused himself before he left.

“I understand that you are angry at me-“

“Angry at you?!” roared Thorin. “You said that you loved me and then you stabbed me in my back. Again!”

“I did this because I love you, you stubborn… dwarf!” yelled Bilbo. “I understand that you are angry at me but don’t you think it’s time you forgive me?”

“I can’t forgive you because you took everything away from me!”

“And I brought everything back!” yelled Bilbo before he threw the folder on the desk and strode out of the room.

Why things had to be so complicated, thought Thorin as he relaxed into his chair. This day was a disaster. After he calmed down enough he reached for the folder Bilbo left on the table. He scanned the papers really quickly.

_“… The ownership of 32.6% of the company is transferred to Thorin Durin… The client does not request anything in return…”_

_“… As requested, Thorin Durin is given full custody rights over the child…”_

_“… In conclusion the mayor shareholder is Thorin Durin, who is now the solo owner of the Arkenstone hotel…”_


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to read all my excuses why this hasn't been updated for so long find me on Tumblr.
> 
> All mistakes are mine.

The last thing Thorin expected was to receive something like this from Bilbo. He had no idea how Bilbo managed to pull something like that, but he knew that Bilbo probably did and agreed to a lot of stupid things. He couldn’t help but to worry a little about him. He was worried about Frodo as well. Knowing that his son would be in the same house as Bilbo when Smaug would get back terrified him to no end. He would feel much better if they would be both close to him, perfectly safe.

His wish came true because not an hour after he got back home in the evening a very excited Frodo ran through his front door. “Daddy!” he called in excitement. Thorin at first wasn’t sure if he heard right be he still headed downstairs only to be greeted by Frodo running toward him. He immediately scooped him up and placed a kiss to his son’s cheek.

“Hey sweetheart, what are you doing here?”

“We came to see you,” explained Frodo, who was about to explode with excitement.

“We?” questioned Thorin.

“Papa is waiting outside.”

The truth was that Bilbo didn’t dare to go in even though his son assured him a million times that it was perfectly fine to go inside. He preferred to wait outside by the car for Thorin to get Frodo’s bag. He hasn’t been in the house in a few years and he and Thorin just had a fight so he was a little worried how Thorin would react when he would see him inside his house.

So it really came as a surprise when Thorin appeared at the doorway, with Frodo in his arms. “Aren’t you going to come inside,” he asked.

“I- I wasn’t sure if I was welcome,” stammered Bilbo.

“Well, I’m inviting you for a cup of tea.”

“Papa,” called Frodo and waved at him, gesturing him to come inside, and Bilbo could never say no to Frodo.

:::

“You seem very familiar with this kitchen,” commented Thorin, while Bilbo prepared the tea.

“The things are exactly the same as I…” he trailed off, unsure if this was the right time to have this conversation. They were still standing on a very thin ice with their relationship, if you could call it that.

“As you left them,” finished Thorin instead of him.

“Yeah,” silently admitted Bilbo before once again busying himself with making the tea.

They heard Frodo squeak and giggle as he was watching cartoons in the living room and Bilbo could help but let out a breath of relief. He made the right decision giving Frodo to Thorin, he would be safe and happy here.

Thorin offered him a smile when Bilbo placed a cup of tea in front of him. “Only you know how to prepare tea for me,” he commented carefully, “only you.”

“It’s not really hard to make it since you always drink the same tea,” shrugged Bilbo, before they once again fell into uncomfortable silence. “So I assume I can come visit him,” asked Bilbo carefully after a few minutes. “Or not…”

“No, of course you can come,” answered Thorin quickly. “You mean the world to him,” _and to me_ , Thorin thought, “and he’ll probably miss you,” _like I_ _do, every single day of my life_. Bilbo found himself nodding at Thorin’s words. He’ll miss Frodo, and he would probably never get used to the idea to live without him, but it was for the best.

“Daddy!” called Frodo as he came running into the kitchen. “You must come to watch with me!”

“I’m coming,” smiled Thorin before following Frodo into the living room.

“Papa, you too!”

“You heard him,” smiled Thorin and waited for Bilbo to join them in the living room.

Frodo bossed both of his parents around until his parents were sitting close together and he could sit on them both. It was probably the most ridiculous cartoon Bilbo and Thorin had ever watched, but for some reason they both enjoyed it immensely. And Frodo did too, especially when he realized that both of his parents have fallen asleep with their fingers intertwined.

:::

A loud crash that came from the kitchen woke Bilbo and Thorin up in the morning. Thorin, who was unsure what was happening rubbed his sleepy eyes before he looked to his left. Bilbo. Bilbo was still there, holding his hand.

“Morning,” mumbled Bilbo, his voice full of sleep. “What time is it?”

“I have absolutely no idea,” answered Thorin before another crash came from the kitchen that caught their attention.

Without thinking twice Bilbo ran to the kitchen, sensing that it had something to do with Frodo. He still didn’t release Thorin’s hand. Whether he was doing it on purpose or he wasn’t even aware that he was holding his hand, Thorin did not know.

“Breakfast!” exclaimed Frodo, who was standing on a chair so that he could reach the countertop. Needless to say the kitchen was a disaster. “I’m making pancakes,” Frodo announced proudly and emptied another bag of  flour into the bowl. Bilbo managed to stop him in the last second before he would turn the mixer on.

“Ah, ah,” scolded Bilbo gently and put Frodo back on the ground.

“Don’t you want pancakes?” pouted Frodo, disappointed that Bilbo ruined his fun. “I was making breakfast for you and daddy.”

“We appreciate the thought,” said Bilbo and quickly glanced at Thorin, “but since you destroyed the kitchen I don’t know what are we going to be able to prepare for breakfast.”

“We?” asked Thorin. “Are you staying?”

“I-I…” stammered Bilbo, unsure if Thorin wanted him to stay or not.

“We can have ice-cream!”

“No, I don’t think that’s a god idea,” said Thorin and lifted his son in his arms. “How about we go out for breakfast?”

“Yes!”

“Coming?” asked Thorin when he was about to leave with Frodo and Bilbo still hasn’t moved. “Bilbo?”

“Hm?” asked Bilbo when he snapped out of his train of thoughts.

Thorin smiled and shook his head before he took Bilbo’s hand and pulled him with.

:::

Frodo chose the place where they would have breakfast. It was his favorite restaurant, and they had a nice spot for children to play, so Bilbo and Thorin just followed their son’s orders.

“I have to use the bathroom,” said Thorin and excused himself from the table. “Finish your breakfast.” Frodo pouted. The food on the table was the last thing on his mind right now where there was a pool filled with balls waiting for him.

“Papa…” he whined when Thorin was gone. “Can I-“

In that moment Bilbo’s phone rang. When he checked who was calling him, his face lost its color. He knew he couldn’t delay this much further. He would have to face the consequences of his actions sooner or later. “You can go,” told Bilbo his son, but before he could add anything Frodo was already gone. He took a deep breath before he answered his phone.

Thorin returned a couple of minutes later, only to find an empty table.

“Daddy!” called Frodo before he ran to Thorin and demanded to be lifted up.

“Where’s Papa?” Thorin looked around, but Bilbo was nowhere to be found.

Frodo shrugged. “He said that I have to wait for you?”

“Did he tell you where he’s going?”

Frodo shook his head. “Daddy?”

“Yes, son?”

“I’m worried.”

“About Papa?” Frodo nodded again. “Why are you worried, little one?”

“Because Papa looked scared. Like- like in the cartoon when they know something bad will happen.”

It took only a few seconds to react to Frodo’s words. He threw some money on the table and took their jackets before he took Frodo to the car.

“Where are we going? I don’t want to leave,” protested Frodo, but Thorin ignored him completely. Warning alarm went off in his head and he knew, he just knew that Bilbo was once again going to do something stupid. But he won’t do it, he won’t. Because this time he will be there to prevent it. “Daddy…”

“You are going to stay with your aunt for a few hours, okay?” Thorin was trying to call Dís and inform her that he is bringing Frodo, while driving.

“I don’t want to!” protested Frodo. “I want Papa!”

“You and me both, buddy,” sighed Thorin silently.

:::

“Dís!” he called as he entered his sister’s house. “Dís? Is anyone home?”

“Thorin?” Dís came to greet her brother and her nephew. “What are you doing here?”

“I need you to watch Frodo for a few hours,” Thorin quickly explained before he handed over the child.

“Wait! What?” said Dís when Frodo was in her arms. “Thorin, wait!” Surprising Thorin stopped. “What’s going on? What’s happening? Talk to me…”

“I think Bilbo’s in danger,” he explained and Dís gasped.

“What happened?”

“What do you think? That… That… Lizard…”

“You should call the police-“

“No time,” interrupted Thorin. “Please watch him,” he called as he rushed back to his car, hoping that he would catch Bilbo before the younger man would do something stupid.

:::

Bag End looked empty when Thorin finally reached the house. It looked like he was too late.

“Bilbo!” he called as he banged on the door. “Bilbo, open up!”

“Thorin, what’s happening?” asked Dwalin as he ran to his friend.

“What are you doing here?”

“Dís called me. She said Bilbo is in trouble and that you lost your mind. I can see she wasn’t joking,” answered Balin.

“Bilbo’s missing. I can’t find him anywhere,” quickly explained Thorin. “I think Smaug is planning something big, and he needs him as a hostage.”

Dwalin’s eyes widened in surprise and the next second he was the one banging on the round green door. “Bilbo! Open up! Bilbo!!!”

“What’s going on, mister Thorin?” asked Mr. Gamgee, Bilbo’s neighbor and one of his friends.

“Have you seen my husband?” Thorin asked frantically.

“Yes, of course. He left not half an hour ago with his new friend. What’s his name…?”

“Smaug?” suggested Dwalin.

“Yes, that one!”

“Do you know where they were going?” asked Thorin quickly.

“I didn’t ask, mister Thorin. They didn’t have much luggage with them and his friend looked really angry while he spoke with someone on the phone,” explained Bilbo’s neighbor.

“Anything else?” Thorin needed more. He needed more information to find Bilbo. “Was anything different about Bilbo? Was he wearing anything special.”

Gamgee thought about it for a minute. “Now that you mentioned it, there really was something different about Bilbo.”

“Yes… What?”

“He had a small backpack with him-“

“For Mahal’s sake!” complained Dwalin. “Do you really think that his backpack is important right now.”

Mr. Gamgee shrugged. “It looked really nice for a child’s backpack.” That caught Thorin’s attention. “It had a very nice ladybird drawn on it.”

Dwalin growled at this useless information while Thorin smiled widely. _Smart thinking, Bilbo._

“Thank you for this information he called as he ran back to his car Dwalin right behind him.”

:::

“What was all this about?” asked Dwalin while hoping to stay alive with Thorin’s driving.

“The backpack, Dwalin! I bought him that backpack when we met. He almost lost it on the airport, but we managed to find it together.”

“Oh… So you know where he is?”

“I know. I just hope we won’t be too late.”                                              

:::

“Hurry up!” yelled Smaug as Bilbo tried to stall as much as possible. Frodo was safe, he was sure of that, he now hoped that Thorin would find him and save him. “You cost me enough time as it is. Hiding that bastard of yours with Durin, smart thinking I’ll admit that. But I think our little game here is now over.”

“What are you planning?” asked Bilbo.

Smaug suddenly turned around and Bilbo almost bumped into him. “That’s none of your business, you little thief.”

“Then why did you threaten me to come?”

“Because I need you. While you are with me, your annoying ex-husband won’t do anything. Let’s say you are my human shield. I need you, to stay alive.” He made a few steps before he turned to Bilbo again. “Don’t forget that you are still alive only because I allowed it. One wrong move and your _precious_ baby won’t see another day.”

Bilbo swallowed hard before nodding. _Please keep Frodo safe._

They were alone in this part of the airport and Bilbo was slowly losing his hope that someone will come and save him. What in the world did he get himself into? Why did he have to be so stupid?

“Stop! Stop, you slug!” he heard Thorin call.

“How lovely,” smiled Smaug, dropped the suitcase he was carrying, pulled out his gun, pulled Bilbo close to his chest before the younger man even had the chance to react, and pointed a gun to his head. “I told you not to tell him to come. You know how I hate goodbyes,” Smaug whispered in Bilbo’s ear.

“I didn’t tell him,” protested Bilbo.

“And yet, here he is.” Smaug looked at Thorin. “Come to say goodbye?”

“Only to you.”

“Since I am the only one with a gun, I don’t see that happening. I see fatherhood is doing good to you. Do tell, your _dear_ thief, how his baby is doing. How he won’t even notice that he isn’t there.” Bilbo was having a hard time keeping his tears back.

“Let go of him.”

“I don’t think so,” laughed Smaug. “I don’t think you understand how this game works. You really are slow sometimes, you know.”

“Just tell me what you want!” growled Thorin. “Is it money, my hotel, my life, -“

“I wanted to see you suffer,” interrupted Smaug, “But since you are offering me your life-“

“No!” exclaimed Bilbo. “Leave him alone!”

“Shhhh,” Smaug whispered in his ear. “Remember, you are to stay quiet and not make a move if you want your baby to stay alive.” Smaug focused on Thorin again. “So, back to our deal then. You would exchange your life for the life of one burglar?”

“Yes…” sighed Thorin.

“But he stole and schemed, and took your son away from you. Why would you do such a thing for him?”

“Because I love him,” admitted Thorin, not even once looking away from Bilbo. “I loved him from the moment I first saw him, and his happiness is the most important thing to me.”

Smaug took a moment to think about. “Neh, I will never understand it. But I accept your offer. Your life for his,” he smiled as he pointed his gun to Thorin, “This day just couldn’t get any better. Say goodbye.”

“Thorin!” exclaimed Bilbo, when a loud gunshot filled his ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You still want to know what happened? Wait for the last chapter :-)
> 
> *Ladybird is supposed to bring you luck.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Six months later…** _

"So why don't you tell us how this thing started."

"From the beginning?"

"Yes."

Bilbo took a deep breath. "Alright. I can do that." The agent smiled at him and pushed the recorder closer to him. "So, uhm, it started right after me and my husband got married."

"You mean Mister Durin?"

"Yes. After Thorin and I got married everything was perfect. You can imagine how things are when you get married. You are excited and nervous at the same time. It's something new, something-"

"Not relevant to the story," the agent interrupted.

"Sorry. So, a few months after that Thorin got his company in some sort of trouble. I don't know what kind, I was never really good at understanding what exactly he does, but I knew it was serious. He wasn't home much and I was bored and had absolutely nothing to do. One night I decided to go out, you know, have some fun and relax because Thorin was driving me crazy."

"And that's when Smaug approached you?"

"Yes. I was sitting at the bar when I saw him. At first I thought he was trying to hit on me, but once he approached me I told him right away that I was married. Funny thing, he wasn't even interested in me, but on the other hand he seemed to know absolutely everything about me.

"I was surprised at how a total stranger was willing to help me. He gave me his number and made me promise to call him. Which I did." The agent raised an eyebrow at him. "I know what you're implying!" said Bilbo angrily. "But nothing happened."

"You were seeing him for two months."

"Now wait a minute here. I called him only a few times. Yes, it was over a period of two months, but that doesn't mean anything. We were always together in public places. We never met in private!"

"So what happened next?"

"He offered me his help."

"In exchange for what?"

"Nothing like that!"

"Mister Durin," sighed the agent, "please calm down."

"I'm completely calm! It's you who constantly implies that I was unfaithful. Let me tell you that other than sleeping in my bed that man never touched me. I have standards!"

"Can we please continue with the important things?"

"As I was saying… He offered me his help. He said he could do some work instead of Thorin if I would just allow him. All I needed to do was sign a few papers that would allow him the control. He even said he would prepare them."

"And you didn't think that was strange?"

"Of course not. I saw him as my friend. I had no idea he and Thorin hated each other."

"When did you get the Arkenstone hotel in your possession?"

"A few days after the wedding. Thorin gave it to me as a token of our love. I knew how much it meant to him. It was in his family for generations and Thorin was planning to pass it on to our children. He asked me to keep it safe."

"That's when things ended?"

"Yes," Bilbo admitted silently. "I signed the papers Smaug offered me without a second thought, believing that I was doing Thorin a favor, that I was helping him. Only when Thorin told me what I'd actually done I realized how big of a mistake I'd made. But by then it was already too late. Thorin was angry at me, I understood that, and slowly we were drifting away, avoiding conversation at any cost so that we could both keep our dignity. When the divorce papers came I wasn't even surprised."

The agent went through the file on the table. "The rest of your shares you got through divorce?"

"Thorin was angry at me, but he would never deny me his financial support. After all, in the end our son would get everything, I was just keeping it safe until then."

"Now tell me how you ended up doing business with Smaug once again."

"He approached me, again, if I may add. He thought I was still angry at Thorin for leaving me, and he proposed a business deal to me. He wanted to exact revenge on Thorin and he offered me help. To punish Thorin for leaving me.

"At first I told him no. What happened, happened in the past, but he insisted and when I heard his plan I agreed. We were to destroy Thorin in front of everyone. He didn't tell me everything he was doing, but I knew enough. I wasn't going to let him hurt Thorin so I had to find a way to help him without Smaug noticing. Convincing him that I was on his side was the hardest part; everything else was child's play.

"He was constantly suspicious of me and I had to find a way to show him I wanted Thorin destroyed. That's when I invited him to live with me. I knew that if he thought he had me under control he wouldn't pay so much attention to me, and luckily I was right.

"But for him to trust me completely I needed to do something more. I needed to give him my part of Thorin's company. I knew the risk. If something went wrong, Thorin would lose everything and I would be dead, but I continued to pretend I was helping him while I was plotting behind his back.

"On the night that Smaug was supposed to announce the sale of Thorin's company, my family was ready. Thank Yavanna I have a huge and relatively wealthy family. The plan was that as many different people as possible would buy the company, making it hard for Smaug to track them down or to suspect anything."

"And it worked."

"It worked," confirmed Bilbo. "My family bought Thorin's company without anyone knowing. I knew Thorin was devastated so I needed him to know as fast as I could that he didn't lose anything, that he didn't lose me. That I still loved him."

"What about the child? Why did you give your husband the custody?"

"I knew that something could go wrong. And it did go wrong. Once the prices rose again Smaug knew something was off and he didn't have to think twice to know who to blame. If I had custody over Frodo I'm sure he would find a way to punish me through him, that's why I gave Frodo to Thorin, that way I knew he was safe."

"How did you end up at the airport that day?"

"We were out, having breakfast. Thorin invited me to come and I couldn't refuse. Then Smaug called and told me he would burn the place down if I didn't come back home. Of course I didn't believe him, but my child was there and the man I loved so I wasn't taking any chances. When we got to the airport Thorin showed up, and the rest of it you already know, agent Bard. After all, it was you who shot Smaug."

"And it was my pleasure, believe me, Mister Durin. I have been chasing him for years, and thanks to you we finally got him. Now he can rot in jail for the rest of his life."

"Well, I want to take some of the credit, but it was you who shot him in the leg, allowing me to escape. I will be forever grateful."

"Thank your friend too. Dwalin, was he? He is the one who called us."

Bilbo just smiled before he stood up. "Would that be all?"

"Yes," smiled Bard. "I thank you again for your cooperation. And congratulations!" Bard added looking at the wedding ring on Bilbo's finger and then at his slightly swollen middle.

Bilbo couldn't help but smiled wider. "Thank you. We are very happy."

"You deserve it," said Bard before he escorted Bilbo out.

:::

The moment Thorin saw him coming out from the office he couldn't help but to approach him and pull him into an embrace.

"How are you?"

"I'm fine," mumbled Bilbo in Thorin's chest.

"Are you done here?" Bilbo nodded in response. "Ready to go home?" Thorin asked as he led him out of the building.

"Yes please." Bilbo looked around. "Love?"

"Hm?"

"Where is Frodo?"

"I left him with Dís. I thought we could enjoy a few hours alone before he is once again glued to you."

"He's just excited," explained Bilbo.

"We all are. He is overly excited."

Bilbo couldn't help but chuckle before he pulled Thorin to a stop. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, my burglar," returned Thorin before leaning down and kissing him.

_**The End** _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just couldn't help myself. I'm a sucker for love.
> 
> I hope this answered all your questions. If not, don't hesitate to ask. I hope you enjoyed this story (even though you had to wait so long).

**Author's Note:**

> This story will have only a few chapters.


End file.
